Being a pommie expat myself, I occasionally have a hankerin' for a good old British beer, usually Newcastle Brown. SO when I rocked up to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow for my first visit since the renovations, I was of course pleased to note that Newcastle Brown was right there on tap, along with Boddingtons, Old Speckled Hen and several others. Excellent.
The Elephant is done out in Classic British pub style, lower ceilings, lots of wood, solid tables and chairs, classic decor. towards the back it opens up into a dancefloor and stage which I'm told gets put to good use along with the pub's 3am licence. So it looks like the Elephant is already establishing itself as a clear successor to the former Kitty O'Shea's, without the sticky carpets and stale beer smell. It's got everything I normally expect from a pub and more. Televisions, food, free wireless internet access, discreetly tucked away pokies, good disabled access (details include braille signage too), a big screen, but no pool tables, a policy decision I can understand having personally experienced a late night around the pool table in the old Kitty's.
Unlike Kitty's there's a decent menu here, so you can tuck in to some hearty British fayre with your meal. The prices are probably about average, though we're not talking $5 fish and chips here. Think about $12-$15 for a main and you'd probably be about right, and of course beer prices look higher than for many local pubs, but remember you're generally buying pints, not schooners! I can of course unhesitatingly recommend the beer, but I can also say that I've tucked into the food and the All-Day Breakfast was a mighty helping and worth the price tag. The steaks also look pretty fine to me and there's plenty of choice.
The Elephant is 100% on our return list, and we're looking forward to a return visit towards the weekend to catch some live music perhaps. And a note to Brad and Mark : Wow, did I feel sorry for myself the next morning..... It's taken me nearly a week to put in a review!review by: Jason

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Mark oakley from centennial parknow closed down and has re opend as the paddington arms.. all the cheesy memorabilia has been taken down with just a very stream line approach with a cheap food menu. The up side is the two big tv screens and the fire place. Down side is they dont serve pints only $4.50 schooners plus there's no sound on the tv's 14 Jun 2006

matt from petershamnice place - loved the old pics with hounds and huntsman and the cheesy english memorabilia. Pint of stella? Yes please! Bar staff friendly and there's a good singer on Sunday arvo's at 5-6ish.25 May 2004

mark vipe from redfernbut the chickies are and willing, who cares about ording pints, at least you can get laid !20 Apr 2004

max from darlinghursti thought i was pretty cool, even the tacky fireplaces were abit of an amusement. poor bar people having to wear that shity uniform though>
28 Mar 2004

Mark Oakley from Centennial parkthe downside of this pub is that everyone stands around the bar making it bloody hard to order a pint4 Mar 2004

Andrew from PaddingtonIf the Elephant and Wheelbarrow goes off like Kitty's used to, it's going to be huge!!! Like the great nights seeing the WILDCATZ rock the house down!!!1 Mar 2004